Two Turns and A Swish!
Someone recently asked me to summarize the golf swing in five words or less. I stopped for a minute and thought, how could I possibly describe something that takes just over a second to perform and uses almost every muscle in the body in only five words.
I thought for a while – thinking if I had to answer this question to get into golf heaven, what would I say? Then, I blurted out, Two Turns and A Swish!
Could the golf swing be that simple? Do we complicate the movements we must complete to strike a golf ball properly? Is golf instruction too analytical? What does “Two Turns and a Swish” really mean?
The first “Turn” is the rotation of your upper body. Your shoulders turn around your spine approximately 90 degrees away from the target. For the right-handed golfer, the left shoulder ends up under the chin. A proper turn will push the arms, hands and club, back and up on the correct swing plane. As you turn, your weight shifts onto your back foot. The first turn also creates the coil or wind up in your backswing.
As soon as your shoulder reaches the chin the second “Turn” begins. Do not worry about where the golf club is. Let the momentum move the club and your arms. The golf club can still be going up as your second turn begins.
The second turn is the rotation of the hips. For the right-handed golfer, the left hip initiates the second turn. Ben Hogan described this turn as if someone is standing behind the golfer (facing the golfers back) and holding one end of a rope. The other end is attached to the golfers left hip belt loop. As the golf club nears the top of the swing, the person pulls gently on the rope initiating the second turn.
This second turn is an early twist. The hip does not move towards the target. Instead, it twists or rotates around. The second turn pulls your weight onto the front foot and pulls the club down and around. It creates the centrifugal force that straightens the arms and insures solid contact with the golf ball.
This turn is similar to the athletic move that can be observed in great players in many sports. Watch a baseball pitcher throwing or a tennis player serving or a football quarterback passing and you will see the hip pulling the arm, racquet, or football forward. The second turn is the hardest part to learn for the average golfer.
Finally, we need the all-important “Swish.” The swish is created by centrifugal force. Imagine a whip. The handle of the whip is moved relatively slowly. The handle moves past a certain point and “crack”. The end of the whip is pulled forward very fast.
This is how power can be created in the golf swing. Turn back with the shoulders. Turn forward with the hips. Allow the golf club to swish through the golf ball. Do not decelerate the golf club. Allow the club to swish through the ball.
A whip is not made with a steel bar. Whips are made with light, flexible, and tension-free material. To get a good loud swish, your arms should feel light, flexible, and tension free when you start your golf swing. The momentum created by the swish will lengthen your arms as you swing through the golf ball. More relaxed wrists will allow for a greater snap and better release.
Sometimes it’s hard for me to believe it can be that easy, but it is. This is certainly the best way to simplify those ever-present swing thoughts. The next time you head out to the first tee, your only thoughts should be “Two Turns and a Swish.”
Good Golfing!
